Cover.



No. 746.675. PATENTBD DEG. 15, 1903.-

H. P. GHILDREss.

COVER.

APPLICATION FILED JULY 11, 1902.

No mmm.. 2 SHEETS-,SHEET 1.

M5@ E.' man No; 746,675.' PATENTED DEG. 15, 1903.

H. P. GHILDRESS.

COVER.

APPLICATION `FILED JULY 1l, 1902. N0 MODEL. Z SHEETS-SHEET Z.

@vih/mace@ Y Summa mi mams r'zrzns 1:0A PHoTb-Lwun., wAsHmGToN, uc.

UNITED STATES Patented.I 'December 15, 1903.

PATENT OEEICE.

HENDERSON PIERCE CHILDRESS, OF MEMPHIS, TENNESSEE, ASSIGNOR TO THE CHILDRESS MANUFACTURING COMPANY, OF MEMPHIS, TENNESSEE,

A CORPORATION OF TENNESSEE.

COVER.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 746,675, dated December 15, 1903.

Application filed July 11`, 1992.y Serial No. 115,195. (No model.) Y

To @ZZ whom, it may concern:

Be it known that I, HENDERSON PIERCE CHILDRESS, a citizen of the United States, re-

siding at Memphis, in the county of Shelby and 'State of Tennessee, have invented a new and useful Cover, of which the following is a specification.

This invention relates to covers for typewriting, adding, or other machines, and more 1o particularly to covers of that class described and protected by Letters Patent of the United l States granted to me on July 8, 1902, and numbered 704,237.

One of the primary objects of the invention is to improve this class of covers first by providing means which will automatically move them to inoperative position when released, said means also serving to keep the flexible covers employed in a smooth and zo nnwrinkled condition.

Another object is to improve the collapsible frames so that they will fold more com-v pactly, and thus be out'of the way.

Still other features reside in different de` tails of construction, which, together with their advantages, are fully described in the following specification and pointed out in the appended claims.

The preferred embodiment of the invention 3o is illustrated in the accompanying drawings; but it will be apparent upon an inspection of, the claims that the structure herein set forthv is open to various changes and modifications.

In said drawings, Figure 1 is a perspective view of the cover when closed. Fig. 2 is a perspective view withfthe flexible covering removed. Fig. 3 is a vertical transverse sec-` tional view through the structure. Fig. 4 is a vertical longitudinal section showing the 4o frame collapsed.A Fig.' 5 is a side elevation of a portion of the collapsed frame. Fig. 6 isa detail horizontal sectional view.

Similar numerals of reference designate corresponding parts in all the figures of the drawings.

The structure, as a Whole, is very similar to that set forth in the prior patent above mentioned, a base or platform l0 being employed,which may be constructed of any suitable material or in any desirable shape to lfeet of such type-writers.

Vcated in Fig. 6.

cover.

Athe-ledge 12, as will be seen in Fig. 2.

5o form a proper support for the casing. The present structure is especially designed for type-Writers, and sockets ll are arranged in the upper face of the platform to receive the It is furthermore provided with a peripheral ledge 12.

A casing is employed for covering the platform and the machine supported thereon, and for this purpose a foldable frame is provided, comprising a main bow 13, the ends of which are pivotally'connected by means of bolts 14 to the opposite edges of the base. Supplemental bows 15 are pivoted to this main bow and to each other in such a manner that they may be folded. at the rear of the platform or spread out, as shown. in Fig. 2. To these several bows is secured a flexible covering 16, which may be of any suitable material that will exclude dust and moisture. It may be fastened to the bows in any manner desired. A par-t of this flexible covering Yis secured to the base or platform, and to thisend a portion of its edge is fastened to a holding-bow 18, that surrounds the rear edge of the platform behind the pivots, said'bow fitting snugly upon the ledge 12 and being secured in place by fastening-screws 19, one of which is indi- One of the supplemental bows 15 is hinged directly to the pivots 14 and -is secured to the remaining edge of the This bow is of a size sufficient to t about the remainder of the base in front of the pivots 14, and when the cover is in closed position it rests upon the forward portion of It is vheldin this position by a lock, (designated as a whole by the reference-numeral 20,) whichy lock engages a suitable lip 2l, secured to the bow.

In order that the cover when in closed position may constitute a rigdstructure, the main bow 13 is braced by lockinglarms 22, pivoted to the side edges of the platform and having detachable engagements with pins 23, secured to the said'bow 13 ,andprojecting through the covering. They are held in inoperative positions by pins 24, arranged upon `the side edges of the platform, said pins engaging in openings formed in the arms. The cover is provided with a suitable handle 25, which may be of any desired construction and is located upon the top, being pivotally secured, through the medium of bolts 26, to the cross-arm of the main bow 13,which crossarm is `preferably strengthened by means of a bar, as 27.

The structure has been thus far described along the same lines as vthat set forth in the prior patent, and, indeed, the saine referencenumeralshave been employed in ord er that the elements may be more clearly compared. The changes and additions will now be described. In the rst place the frame of the original structure would not fold as compactly as desired, especially when used in connection with certain kinds of machines. This difficulty has been overcome by forming the side arms of the lower bow of pivotally-associated sections la, the side sections being journaled upon the pivots l4 and having sockets 15b, in which the ends of the bow-sections are pivoted. As a result when the frame is thrown backwardly to collapsed position the lower bow,which then comes uppermost, will fold down upon the next adjacent bow, as clearly shown in Fig. 4. Moreover, the relative swinging movements of the sections are limited because of the pivoting of the ends of the bow -section between the ends of the socket, for when the bow-section is swung toward the platform it will first aline'with the said sections, and afterward all the sections are moved together, so that the lower edge of the cover will promptly close upon the plat form. The portions of the side ledges 12 in rear of the pivots have been made wider, as shown in Fig. 6, so that the holding-bow 18 is arranged some distance within the other bows. Therefore when the cover is collapsed there is sufficient room to permit the several bows folding without scraping or unduly wearingthe ileXible covering. The terminals of the other bows are held at the outer ends of the pivots by the ends 18a of the holdingbow, which are sprung outwardly and constitute yielding Washers,as clearly illustrated in Fig. 6. The construction of the pivots 14 is also different from the original arrangements. Screw-bolts are now employed, the nuts 14a of which are embedded in the platform, the pivots having their inner ends threaded and engaging said nuts.

The lock 20 in the present instance is in the form of a latch-bolt 20a, housed in a socket 20h, formed in the front portion of the platform. This latch-bolt has an outwardly-projecting beak 20c, which engages the lip 21 of the bow l5, as already described. It is normally held in its projected position by a spring 20d, also tted within the socket and bearing against the bolt. A suitable actuating-stem 2Oe is secured to the bolt and projects beyond the end ofthe platform and the casing, thus being in aconvenient position to be operated. There is now employed means for automaticsired and replaced by a new one should it become broken or worn. In order to relieve the platform 10 of the strain and weight of the type-writer or other machine placed thereon, a brace-bar 30 extends across the under face of said platform, and its terminals are upturned, as shown at 31, to form ears, through which the pivots 14 are passed. It will be apparent that this feature greatly strengthens the entire structure.

The machine to be protected is placed upon the platform in the usual way, so that it will not interfere with the free movement of the cover, and said cover may be swung over the same and locked, thus completely protecting the inclosed machine from dust and dirt. If the machine is to be carried about, the braces 22 are moved to their operative position, and

-thus the main bowis positively locked against movement with respect to the platform, and the flexible cover is consequently' relieved of any strain. If the machine is not to be Iransported, it is not necessary to employ these braces, as the covering will hold the frame in proper position. To open the cover, it is only necessary to press upon the thumb-piece 20e,

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thereby unlocking the lower bow 15 and permitting the spring 28 to act. This spring drawing downwardly upon the rear portion of the frame will cause the same to move slowly backward and collapse to the position shown in Fig. 4. It will be apparent that these several additions and changes in the structure constitute important improvements over the original disclosures, as shown by the various advantages above pointed out.

From the foregoing it is thought that the construction, operation, and many advan- Itages of the herein-described invention will be apparent to those skilled in the art without further description, and it will be understood that various changes in the size, shape, proportion, and minor details of construction may be resorted to without departing from the spirit or sacrificing any of the advantages of the invention.

Having thus described my invention, what I claim as new, and desire to secure by Lette rs Patent, is n 1. In a cover of the class described, a support for a type-writer or like machine, a collapsible casing mounted thereover, means for holding the casing in extended position, and means for automatically collapsing the casing when the holding means is released.

2. In a cover of the class described, a support for a type-writer or like machine, a colla'psible casing mounted thereover, a lock for holding the casing in extended position, and

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a spring engaging the casing to automatically collapse the same when released.

3. In a cover of the class described, the combination with a suitable support for a typewriter or like machine, of a collapsible casing mounted upon the support, means for holding the casing extended over the support,and means for automatically collapsing the casing when released from the holding means.

4. In a cover of the class described,rthe combination with a suitable support for a typewriter or like machine, of a collapsible casing mounted upon the support, a locking device movably mounted upon the support and detachably engaging the casing to hold it eX- tended over the support, and means for automatically collapsing the casing when it is released frorn the lock.

5. In acover of the class described, the combination with a suitable support for a typewriter or like machine, of a'collapsible casing mounted upon the support, and a springr engaging'the casing to collapse the same when released.

6. In a cover of the class described, the combination with a suitable support for a typewriter or like machine, ot' a collapsible casing mounted upon thev support, and a yielding conneetionbetween the support and the casing, saidconnection being arranged to auto matically move the casing to its collapsed position.

7. In acover ot the class described, the combination with a suitable support for 'a typewriter or like machine, of a collapsible frame pivoted to the support, a leXible covering attached to and-movable with the frame, and

a spring connected at one end to the support, i

and at the other end to the frame.

8. In acover of the class described, the combination withV a supporting-platform for a type-writer or like machine, of a collapsible frame pivotally mounted upon the platform, a flexible covering secured to the frame, and a coiled spring detachably secured at one end to the frame and at the other end to the platof swinging bows, and a liexible covering secured to the bows, one of said bows comprising-pivoted side sections having sockets in their free ends, and a bow-section having its ends pivoted in intermediate portions of the sockets, the swinging movement of said bowsections upon the side sections being limited bythe walls of the sockets. y,

10. In a cover of the classldescribed, the combination with a support, of a collapsible casing mounted thereon and Amovable over the support, a spring for automatically eollapsing the casing, and a spring-pressed latch mounted on the support and arranged to` engage the casing and hold the same over the support, said latch having an exposed actuating device. y

In testimony that I claim the foregoing as my own I have hereto afxed my signature in the presence of two Witnesses.

HENDERSON PIERCE CBILDRESS.

Witnesses:

.. JOHN H.\S1scnns,

FLORENCE E. WALTER. 

